Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Levers and Buoyancy Year of Discovery: 260 B.C.What Is It? The two fun da men tal principles under lying all phys ics andengineering.Who Discovered It? ArchimedesWhy Is This One of the 100 Great est?The concepts of buoyancy (water pushes up on an object with a force equal to theweight of wa ter that the object dis places) and of levers (a force push ing down on one side ofa le ver cre ates a lift ing force on the other side that is pro por tional to the lengths of the twosides of the le ver) lie at the foun da tion of all quan ti ta tive sci ence and en gi neer ing. They rep -re sent hu man ity’s ear li est break throughs in un der stand ing the re la tion ships in the phys i calworld around us and in de vis ing math e mat i cal ways to de scribe the phys i cal phe nom ena ofthe world. Count less en gi neer ing and sci en tific advances have depended on those twodiscoveries.How Was It Dis cov ered?In 260 B.C. 26-year-old Ar chi me des stud ied the two known sci ences—as tron omy andge om e try—in Syr a cuse, Sic ily. One day Ar chi me des was dis tracted by four boys play ingon the beach with a drift wood plank. They bal anced the board over a waist-high rock. Oneboy strad dled one end while his three friends jumped hard onto the other. The lone boy wastossed into the air.The boys slid the board off-cen ter along their bal anc ing rock so that only one-quar terof it re mained on the short side. Three of the boys climbed onto the short, top end. Thefourth boy bounded onto the ris ing long end, crash ing it back down to the sand and cat a pult -ing his three friends into the air.Ar chi me des was fas ci nated. And he de ter mined to un der stand the prin ci ples that soeas ily al lowed a small weight (one boy) to lift a large weight (three boys).Ar chi me des used a strip of wood and small wooden blocks to model the boys and theirdrift wood. He made a tri an gu lar block to model their rock. By mea sur ing as he bal anceddif fer ent com bi na tions of weights on each end of the le ver (lever came from the Latin wordmean ing “to lift”), Ar chi me des re al ized that le vers were an ex am ple of one of Eu clid’s pro -por tions at work. The force (weight) push ing down on each side of the le ver had to be pro -por tional to the lengths of board on each side of the bal ance point. He had dis cov ered themath e mat i cal con cept of le vers, the most com mon and basic lifting system ever devised.3Fif teen years later, in 245 B.C., Ar chi me des was or dered by King Hieron to find outwhether a gold smith had cheated the king. Hieron had given the smith a weight of gold andasked him to fash ion a solid-gold crown. Even though the crown weighed ex actly the sameas the orig i nal gold, the king sus pected that the gold smith had wrapped a thin layer of goldaround some other, cheaper metal in side. Ar chi me des was or dered to dis cover whether thecrown was solid gold with out dam ag ing the crown itself.It seemed like an im pos si ble task. In a pub lic bath house Ar chi me des no ticed his armfloat ing on the wa ter’s sur face. A vague idea be gan to form in his mind. He pulled his armcom pletely un der the sur face. Then he re laxed and it floated back up.He stood up in the tub. The wa ter level dropped around the tub’s sides. He sat backdown. The wa ter level rose.He lay down. The wa ter rose higher, and he re al ized that he felt lighter. He stood up.The wa ter level fell and he felt heavier. Wa ter had to be push ing up on his sub merged bodyto make it feel lighter.He car ried a stone and a block of wood of about the same size into the tub and sub mergedthem both. The stone sank, but felt lighter. He had to push the wood down to sub merge it. Thatmeant that wa ter pushed up with a force re lated to the amount of wa ter dis placed by the ob ject(the ob ject’s size) rather than to the ob ject’s weight. How heavy the ob ject felt in the wa terhad to re late to the ob ject’s density (how much each unit vol ume of it weighed).That showed Ar chi me des how to an swer the king’s ques tion. He re turned to the king.The key was den sity. If the crown was made of some other metal than gold, it could weighthe same but would have a dif fer ent den sity and thus oc cupy a dif fer ent volume.The crown and an equal weight of gold were dunked into a bowl of wa ter. The crowndis placed more wa ter and was thus shown to be a fake.More im por tant, Ar chi me des dis cov ered the prin ci ple of buoy ancy: Wa ter pushes upon ob jects with a force equal to the amount of wa ter the ob jects displace.Fun Facts: When Ar chi me des dis cov ered the con cept of buoy ancy, heleapt form the bath and shouted the word he made fa mous: “Eu reka!”which means “I found it!” That word be came the motto of the state of Cal i -for nia af ter the first gold rush min ers shouted that they had found gold.

Beasts & MonstersTHE BEAST OF BODMIN: whether it is anative cat, previously thought extinct,or an escaped exotic pet, the Beast ofBodmin is a creature that refuses to disappear.Indeed, sightings of the panther-like creaturecontinue apace and, unlike other mysterious beasts, modern technology is actually helpingto prove its existence. Bodmin Moor is an area of National Park land in Cornwall, southwestEngland. Since 1983 there have been over sixty sightings of big cats in the area, andsome experts suggest there may be a wholebreeding population on the moors. In fact, one recent sighting was of a mother cat and hercub together. Despite wide-ranging testimonials from reliable witnesses, a Britishgovernment report in 1995concluded that there was no evidence of big cats on themoors.However, since 1995some quite startling,tangible evidence has been produced. A 20-secondvideo released in July 1998clearly shows a large blackanimal roaming the moor. Experts believe the footageis the best evidence yet tosupport the idea that bigcats are living in the area. Many also suggest thebeasts may be a nativespecies of cat which wasthought to have becomeextinct over a hundred years ago. Around thetime of the video release, Maurice Jenkins, aquarry weighbridge worker was driving near Exmoor, near Bodmin, when he spotted anodd beast at the side of the road. He trained his car headlights on the creature. Jenkinssaid afterwards:‘It was a big black pussycat. His eyes reflected in my headlights and I sloweddown so I could get a better look and itsat watching me. It was the size of a collie dog with jet-black head and tail. He leapt away and made off into thefields.’

The Beast strikesagain; or is it infact a fox with arabbit?Real biological evidence has also been found in recent years. A large skull with huge fangswas found near the River Fowey on Bodmin Moor. The bones were sent to mammalspecialists at the British Natural HistoryMuseum who, when they examined it, quickly realised that the skull did not belongto a creature normally found in the English countryside. Because of the size and positionof the teeth, they also deduced that it was the head of a large cat.In November 1999 a spate of farm animalmutilations on Bodmin Moor caused a hightech option to be introduced in finding thebeast. When a calf and two sheep wereattacked and torn apart by an unknown creature, a motion-activated infrared videocamera was installed on the moor. Similarly,in January 2001, reserve volunteers from a nearby Royal Air Force base used state-ofthe-art night-vision military equipment to hunt for the creature. Rather than practiseexercises against an imaginary foe, RAFcommanders thought that it would be moreinteresting for the troops to look for thefabled Beast of Bodmin. Whether the RAF found any trace of the Beast is not known.Certainly, the idea of strange big catsroaming Britain is not totally bizarre. In May 2001, a peculiar, vicious-looking wild animalwas found in the garden of a house in Barnet, north London. A huge team of armed police,RSPCA inspectors and vets were needed tocapture what turned out to be a lynx. A similar event happened in September 1998when people living close by, in Potters Bar and South Mimms, were told to stay indoorswhilst police looked for a large cat sightedthere. Generally, however, such animals pose little threat to the human population.Farmers in southwest England do not agree that these creatures are so benign, and manysceptics believe the Beast of Bodmin is, if anything, an escaped foreign cat. A numbergo missing from zoos and wildlife parks eachyear, and Britain’s 1976 Dangerous Wild Animals Act made ownership of exotic bigcats illegal. Some people believe that if such a pet were to escape from a privatecollection, its owner would be hesitant toreport it missing. Whatever the truth about its origin, there is growing, indisputableevidence that a large, black, feral cat isstalking the land of Bodmin Moor.

The author... Paul J. H. Schoemaker is founder and chairman at Decision Strategies International. A speaker, professor, and entrepreneur, Schoemaker is research director at the Mack Center for Innovation Management at Wharton, where he teaches strategic decision making. His latest book is Brilliant Mistakes: Finding Success on the Far Side of Failure.

The 3 Decisions That Made Mandela a Truly Great Leader

Only a handful of people in a century command
the global authority that Nelson Mandela does. These three crucial
judgments cemented his greatness.Nelson Mandela's life story has long since become a legend, one that
transcends borders, race, language, or culture. His leadership truly
belongs to the world.
It would be absurd--let alone disrespectful to Mandela's
achievements--to suggest that the issues you face as a business leader
are as grave as apartheid, or that the stresses you encounter compare
with his decades of imprisonment. Still, Mandela's decisions at key
points in his career do hold lessons for everyone who aspires to be a
great leader. In my opinion, these three decisions especially stand
out.

1985: Turning down Botha's offer of conditional amnesty

In
a 1985 speech to the nation, pro-apartheid President F. W. Botha
offered Mandela freedom if he renounced violence and other illegal
activity. The President tried to shift the blame for imprisonment to
Mandela himself: after all, he was now free to go, provided he would be
law abiding. Mandela did not fall for this transparent ploy. Yes, he
very much desired freedom after decades of hard labor and confinement in
a small cell. But he also felt it would betray his principles, his
leadership and the ANC’s long struggle. Here is how Mandela replied, in
part, to President Botha’s disingenuous offer:

“What freedom am I
being offered while the organization of the people remains banned?....
What freedom am I being offered if I must ask permission to live in an
urban area?.... Only free men can negotiate. Prisoners cannot enter
into contracts.”

Mandela turned down Botha and opted to stay in
his cold, dark prison cell -- about 8 feet by 8 feet in size -- and was
prepared to serve out the remainder of his life sentence. This
strategic decision was enormously powerful, since it greatly elevated
his position as the face of the ANC’s opposition, while also drawing
attention to his enormous personal sacrifice.

1993: Finding a way to make peace in the wake of Chris Hani's assasination

The
second strategic decision occurred shortly after Mandela became a free
man but before he was elected President in 1994. The trigger was the
1993 assassination of Chris Hani, a popular black leader fighting for
equal rights. Hani was shot in cold blood by a right-wing white
extremist when stepping out of his car. The killer was identified by a
white woman, who turned him in. The assasination ignited widespread fury
and triggered huge demonstrations. Many blacks wanted revenge, and the
atmosphere was ripe for looting, violence and mayhem. Recently out of
prison, Mandela rose to the occasion and appealed for calm. Here is part
of what he said:

"Tonight, I am reaching out to every single
South African, black and white, from the very depths of my being. A
white man, full of prejudice and hate, came to our country and committed
a deed so foul that our whole nation now teeters on the brink of
disaster. A white woman, of Afrikaner origin, risked her life so that we
may know and bring to justice, this assassin. The cold-blooded murder
of Chris Hani has sent shock waves throughout the country and the
world….. Now is the time for all South Africans to stand together
against those who, from any quarter, wish to destroy what Chris Hani
gave his life for - the freedom of all of us."

1994: Refusing to stand for a second term as president

His
third strategic decision occurred after his election as president: He
decided early in his first term not to stand for a second, although two
were possible under the constitution. This was a remarkable gesture in a
continent where leaders tend to seek maximum power (such as Robert
Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe). Mandela knew that his speech would be
watched by about a billion people on television around the world, and he
wanted to signal clearly that he was pledged to democracy and that he
represented all the people of his country, regardless of color. The most
famous lines of this landmark speech are inscribed in stone on Robben
Island. Here is part of what he said:

“We have, at last,
achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate all
our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation,
suffering, gender and other discriminations. Never, never and never
again shall this beautiful land experience the oppression of one by
another….

Mandela’s extraordinary achievement was to encourage
racial harmony, forgiveness without forgetting, power sharing, and a
strong focus on the future, not the past. As a master of symbolism,
Mandela supported his strategy by being magnanimous towards his former
enemies. For example, in 1995, he visited the widow of the very man who
was the main architect of the apartheid regime and in effect put him in
prison (Prime Minister Hendrik Verwoerd). He rejoiced when the national
rugby team Springboks won the world championship even though this team
had been a symbol of racism and Afrikaner power for decades. He proudly
wore the team’s shirt during the championship match, waved his hands in
support and signaled to the world at large that he truly supported a
rainbow nation. Such leadership is as precious as it is rare.

Karachi (CNN) -- Plumbing new depths in the battle
for television ratings, abandoned babies are being given out as prizes
on a controversial prime-time game show in Pakistan.

TV host Aamir Liaquat
Hussain presented baby girls to two unsuspecting couples during his
show, which is broadcast live for seven hours a day during the month of
Ramadan.

"I was really shocked at
first. I couldn't believe we were being given this baby girl," said
Suriya Bilqees, now a mother of a two-week old. "I was extremely happy."

Another baby, a boy, is due to be given to another couple at some point in the coming days.

Last Look: Superhero in a Burka

A Girl's World: From London to Pakistan

The show's host has been
described as a religious scholar, TV megastar and even a sex symbol. His
heady mix of religion and entertainment is often followed by
controversy.

"At Christmas there's
Santa Claus to give everyone gifts, it's important for Christians. For
us Ramadan is a really special time so it's really important to make
people happy and reward them," said Hussain.

His show -- Aman Ramazan
-- has been dubbed Pakistan's version of The Price Is Right, with
members of the 500-strong audience receiving prizes in exchange for
answering questions on the Quran.

He also cooks while men sing Islamic hymns and discusses religion with children in a garden full of rabbits, snakes and goats.

The baby girls given away on the show were found by an NGO, the Chhipa Welfare Association, which says it receives up to 15 abandoned babies a month.

"Our team finds babies
abandoned on the street, in garbage bins -- some of them dead, others
mauled by animals. So why not ensure the baby is kept alive and gets a
good home?" said Ramzan Chhipa, who runs the organization.

"We didn't just give the
baby away. We have our own vetting procedure. This couple was already
registered with us and had four or five sessions with us."

But, the couple didn't
know they would be handed a newborn when they were invited to take part
in the show and paperwork was not processed before the live broadcast.

Adoption is not
officially recognized in Pakistan and there is no adoption law. The
couple will have to apply for guardianship at a family court.

Some viewers praised the show's baby giveaway but others declared it a publicity stunt.

"Pakistan wake up," Shamim Mahmood wrote on the NGO's Facebook page. "Babies are not trophies to be handed to just anyone."

Hussain says it isn't a
gimmick to win ratings during the Islamic holy month. He believes his
show is unifying a fractured nation, plagued by sectarian violence,
religious intolerance and terrorism.

"These are the
disenfranchised babies that grow up to be street kids and used for
suicide bombing attacks. We have tried to show an alternative," he said.

"Telling people to take
these kids off the rubbish on the streets, raise them and make them a
responsible citizen, not to destroy society through terrorism," he said.

The show has proved
extremely popular, breaking ratings records and may be extended beyond
its Ramadan run. He is also planning another program where the audience
will be from the minority Hindu, Sikh and Christian communities.

Pakistan has to take a number of prior actions before qualifying for $5.3 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) package under Extended Fund Facility (EFF). According to this newspaper on 27th July, 2013, the Federal Government is required to reach an understanding with the provinces on budget surplus, issue notices to 10,000 potential taxpayers and increase electricity tariff to eliminate power sector subsidies at least one week before September 4 IMF board meeting for the consideration of request for the new loan. One more condition might be that the State Bank of Pakistan should raise the discount rate by 150 basis points in its next monetary policy announcement because the Fund's assessment was that inflation could be in double-digit figure during the current year. It seems that the government is already moving in that direction. The issuance of notices to the potential taxpayers would begin from 15th August, 2013 to bring them into tax net before the IMF board meeting. Power sector reforms in the energy policy are likely to be announced by the end of the current month after approval from the Council of Common Interests (CCI).

The condition of reaching an understanding with the provinces about the budget surplus could also be met before the deadline if Sindh and KP governments are properly persuaded to cooperate with the Federal Government for a national cause. This was essential because after the 7th National Finance Commission Award, tilt of resources had been shifted from the centre to the provinces and the role of provincial governments had become very critical in fiscal management.

It is easy to find out why the IMF authorities are insisting on prior actions before taking the country's case for EFF to the Executive Board. This was due to the poor credibility of the country in fulfilling the agreed conditionalities in the past. On a number of occasions in the past, Pakistan failed to meet stipulated conditions on one pretext or the other after the disbursement of a tranche and then waivers were sought to continue with the programme. In international circles, Pakistan also came to be known as one-tranche country due to its inability to continue with various programmes after only a few months. At one time, even figures were doctored to show that a certain conditionality was met. This time the Fund staff did not want to take any chances. The implementation of certain prior actions will also make it easier for the Fund staff to strongly advocate Pakistan's case before the Board. In fact, the head of the IMF mission had already indicated at a press briefing in Islamabad that a staff level agreement with the authorities on the key elements of an economic reforms programme had been reached subject to timely completion of prior actions to be taken by the government. The details of the prior actions now revealed, indicate the urgency to manage the public finances of the country properly and bring down the level of budget deficit to a manageable level. The condition of undertaking serious efforts to broaden the tax base, eliminate subsidies to power sector and persuading the provinces to have surplus budgets before the case was put to the Board, seem to be directed to achieve this objective. It would be no surprise if prior conditions were also attached to successive tranches of the EFF when they are due for disbursement. Hopefully, the present government seems to have done its homework properly to ensure that various conditionalities attached to the EFF are tolerable to the vast majority of population and the programme is not derailed in between so that credibility of the country is improved overtime. The intention of the government to place the programme before the parliament is of course a step in the right direction to take various parties on board for developing a consensus on the matter and ensuring the continuity of the programme.

As the provincial and federal legislatures hold polling today to elect a new head of state to succeed Asif Ali Zardari upon completion of his tenure of office, one can not but lament the unnecessary controversy that has beset these elections. It is the new presidential election schedule that has created this unnecessary controversy. The PPP, supported by its former coalition partners, the ANP and the PML-Q, has announced it would boycott the election because the August 6 date, set earlier by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), has been brought forward to July 30. The change was ordered by the Supreme Court on a petition filed by PML-N leader Raja Zafarul Haq pleading that August 6 would fall within the last ten days of the holy month of Ramazan, when many members of the Parliament and provincial assemblies - president's electoral college- would either be out of the country performing Umra or sitting in 'aitekaf'. But the Opposition said the change will leave little time for its candidate, Senator Raza Rabbani, to travel to the four provincial capitals for canvassing and hence it would boycott the election.

Announcing the boycott at a press conference in Islamabad, Rabbani posed the question "why would members of the provincial assemblies cast their votes without listening to the candidate?" The fact of the matter is that even though the election outcome is decided through secret balloting, members of the assemblies are bound by party discipline to vote for their respective parties' candidates. And Ramazan observances would have affected all parties equally. The result would not have been any different had the schedule remained unchanged. The Nawaz League supported by the JUI-F had the numbers in its favour; its candidate, Mamnoon Hussain, would have won without any difficulty. Still the PML-N decided to use the opportunity to make a show of strength whilst the PPP went for political posturing. Even though PML-N candidate would have easily sailed through poll, the party sought and received the support of the MQM with which it has had fractious relations. For the PPP, it was a chance, aside from giving hard time to the ruling party, to get back at the Supreme Court for its leaders' past and ongoing troubles. No wonder, the PPP leader Aitzaz Ahsan spent considerable time at Raza Rabbani's news conference to criticise the apex court for allegedly showing special favour to the Nawaz League.

A better course for the PPP to adopt, like the PTI, would have been to express its reservations but not let the election go by uncontested. At a parallel news conference, PTI Chairman Imran Khan acknowledged that the PPP had a point in raising the objections it did, but his party had decided not to give a walkover to the PML-N candidate. He vented his anger at the ECP rather than the SC. PTI presidential candidate former Justice Wajihuddin Ahmad rightly pointed out that as per the relevant constitutional provision the ECP had a 30-day window to hold the election. Notably, the Constitution says "election to the office of President shall be held not earlier than sixty days and not later than thirty days before the expiration of the term of the President in office." The incumbent's term expires on September 8, which means the election could not wait until after Eid. Blame for the PPP candidate's boycott and the unpleasantness it has created must be shared by all those responsible for the change in schedule, especially the Election Commission which could have held the election sometime earlier this month.

Good 40 years on, the PML (N)-led government was expected to recognise and respect the value of merit by refusing to throw lifeline to the quota system in the recruitment to the federal and provincial civil services. But, it has not and taken the easy way out by deciding to extend the quota system by another 10 years. That was neither the vision of the framers of the Constitution, nor in consonance with the existing ground realities. The 1973 Constitution fixed period of 10 years, only 10 years, after which the Article 27 (1) was come into full play by ensuring that "No citizen otherwise qualified for appointment in the service of Pakistan shall be discriminated against in respect of any such appointment on the ground only of race, religion, caste, sex, residence or place of birth". But this was violated, first by the Ziaul Haq regime, in 1985, and then the elected government of Nawaz Sharif, in 1998. Put together, they extended the quota system for 40 years - by their selective use of the proviso of the said constitutional command, in that while they conceded its application to the provincial quotas only, they ignored the others who too could benefit like women, physically challenged.

Given that the successive governments tended to read Article 27 in the light of their political interests extending the period of quota system was easier and less risky, and this helped them in rather smooth passage of amendments allowing the extensions. One therefore wouldn't be surprised if the members sitting across the aisle in the present parliament join hands and grant another 20-year extension to the quota system. By that they would be delivering yet another stunning blow to hopes and aspirations of all hardworking, competent Pakistanis, who waited for merit to prevail in recruitments to jobs in the federal government departments and institutions. If there is literally an exodus of talented countrymen then there should be no hesitation in pinning the blame on the notorious provincial quota system. Those who fail to land ordinary jobs in the homeland invariably outshine the best in the world overseas. Take the case of recruitment to the prestigious central superior services (CSS). Under the prevailing system only 7.5 percent of candidates get jobs on merit, the rest of the 200-plus posts are filled in line with quotas earmarked for the provinces. The percentage of the provinces are: Punjab plus Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), 50%; Sindh 19%; Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 11.5%; Balochistan 6%; Fata plus Gilgit-Baltistan 4%, and Azad Kashmir 2%. So, in terms of shares none of the regions have any complaint; the complaint is that the delivery of the civil servants falls far short of the performance expected of them. The cause, said bluntly, is the quota system tends to encourage incompetence. The Nawaz Sharif government, politically conscious as it is, may like to run the risk of provincial wrath by doing away with the regional quotas in the federal services that's understandable. However, some kind of remedial action can be taken, and should be taken. Of course as a whole some provinces are more developed than others in terms of affording their residents good schooling and related services that help improve the compatibility of the applicants to the civil services. But a close look would show that the underdevelopment is not uniformly spread, it resides in pockets. That even in Punjab which is said to be more developed than others there are districts which are as backward as any in other provinces. Similarly, the development is also district-specific. At the same time there are certain sections of society that are less developed than others in Pakistan - like women, minorities particularly in Sindh and physically challenged citizens. Therefore, instead of giving a new lease of life to the archaic concept of provincial quotas the government may consider winding up the quota system over the next 10 years, by annually increasing ratio of recruitment on merit by a certain percentage, and at the same time identify and fix quotas for the underdeveloped districts and the disadvantaged. Since there is no dearth of statistical information on the level of development of districts and also there is ample record to indicate the degree of deprivation inflicting weaker sections of society there should be no problem in rewriting the draft approved by the federal cabinet to extend quota system.

Burka Avenger: Why criticise the effort just because of the burka?

She looks like a ninja and fights crime wearing a costume that hides her
identity and helps her blend into the crowd simultaneously. PHOTO:
PUBLICITY

Imagine a young Pakistani girl. She lives a normal life; maybe she is just a reporter like Superman. She dresses pretty much like every other Pakistani girl. There’s nothing unique about her. Except.. wait! She is a superhero!
She takes on evil villains by using her superpowers, while wearing a
disguise. Because, duh, every superhero has to wear a disguise. They
must protect their identity.
Here’s a picture of the super-girl chilling at Karachi beach:

Photo: Ema Anis

Err. Sorry. Wrong disguise.
Maybe, this?

Photo: Ema Anis

Um. I’m not so sure…
Something just doesn’t gel here. What’s the problem?
Well, there’s nothing specifically wrong with these superheroes
except for the fact that they are not really ‘Pakistani’ looking – their
attire is out of place. We don’t do many swimsuits or knee length
skirts here do we? No matter how hard I try, I just cannot imagine a Pakistani superwoman fighting the Taliban in say, Sohrab Goth, wearing these clothes (*shudders at the thought*).
Recently, though, I came across this incredible video for
a brand new female superhero for the twenty first century distressed
Pakistani. Meet Burka Avenger. Yes, that’s the name she goes by.
The first thing that came to my mind was:

“Oh my God, this is excellent animation! Finally our artists are starting to get mainstream. Oh, the quality!”

Photo: Burka Avenger Facebook Page

I was in raptures. The hunger of arts inside me received new
sustenance. I immediately shared the trailer on my personal social media
accounts, and clocked in a reminder of when the show would air.
But what happened next broke my heart.
I came across innumerable, disdainful tweets criticising the disguise of this local superhero:

“Burka! Burka! Bad burka! No burka! Why burka? This burka and that burka.”

But wait, isn’t this really good animation, very creatively produced with a positive idea promoting education?
No, the highlight of this great breakthrough is the fact that the main character wears a burka!
Being an ardent appreciator of art, this was so depressing for me.
Rarely on this side of the world do we come up with something local,
something creative, something original, and when we do, all we can think
of doing is criticising this success.
What’s so wrong with a burka anyway?
And if it’s okay to call a veiled girl “ninja” after superhero cartoons – why is it wrong to name a veil clad superhero Burka Avenger?
This superhero is inventing her own type of martial arts. She looks
like a ninja and fights crime wearing a dress that helps her hide her
identity and blend into the crowd simultaneously. The character itself,
the ‘ordinary’ girl behind Burka Avenger, is not hijabi. Her superhero costume is just that – a “costume”.
I’m a feminist myself and I believe in giving all due rights to
women. But I ask again, what has a burka got to do with freedom? How can
this piece of attire restrict freedom?
Personally, I feel more free with more clothes on; I would feel
suppressed if I’m forced into shedding a piece of cloth I’m comfortable
in.
My colleague who sits next to me wears a burka. No one else in her
family does, and according to her, her choice has nothing to do with
religious reasons. She wears the burka because she’s ‘too lazy to dress
up every morning’. On other occasions, she chooses not to wear the burka
and dresses differently.
My mom wears a burka occasionally; no one forces her to. When she’s
cooking in the kitchen, still in her night-suit, and needs something
quickly from the nearby market, she’ll pull on her burka and be back
with her stuff within 10 minutes. What’s wrong with her being
comfortable with this practice? I highly doubt she feels oppressed or
restricted by this habit!
I’m all for freedom and I believe that the burka is not the opposite of freedom.
Yes, I agree we live in a patriarchal society where women get
negligible rights; yes, I have seen this phenomenon with my own eyes; I
have gone through it myself, but creating a hype about non-issues like a
burka clad animated character when we have real issues badgering us
every second is not going to help!
Condemning Burka Avenger will not make you ‘cool and
liberal’. I think this innovative cartoon series is an excellent effort.
It’s unique, it’s Pakistani and children will be able to relate to it.
And please, I highly doubt that any girl will feel compelled to wear a
burka after watching a cartoon who does. Stop criticising just for the
heck of it.
She’s fighting all the bad men – the “Vadero Pajeros”. Be happy with that!